Do not close a SCAR when the plan is approved. Set the proof before the lots arrive, such as zero rejects on the next five lots sampled at your own receiving, the supplier’s in-process records and the die or tooling log. Keep the part on tightened inspection until the window closes.
Dunmore's plan is accepted: dies replaced on a piece count, a second in-process check every 500 pieces, and a change notice before any job moves machines. It is tempting to close the SCAR. Not yet. A plan tells you what the supplier intends. It does not tell you what will happen on the next lot.
Set the proof before the lots arrive
Write down what proof you will accept, so nobody grades their own homework afterward. For FB-8120 the team set three:
- Zero thread gage rejects on the next five lots, each sampled at receiving with a sample of 32 or more.
- Dunmore's in-process check records sent with each of those lots.
- The die log entry for each lot, showing the counter was reset.
Each one is measurable and has a window. And the first is your own data, collected at your own dock, not a statement from the supplier. Five lots is this team's choice. Your own risk and volume decide the window. A part that ships once a quarter needs a different plan than one that ships weekly.
Tighten while you wait
Until the window closes, FB-8120 from Dunmore stays on tightened inspection. A bigger sample for five lots costs little next to another bad lot, and it is the only way to get the proof you asked for.
Keep score, and decide what a miss means
Keep a simple count on the tracker: lots received, lots clean, records received. After three lots the count stands at 3 of 5. Two lots later it reads 5 of 5, the records are attached, and the SCAR can close.
Decide in advance what happens if a lot fails inside the window. The rule here: the count stops, the SCAR goes back to the cause, and the supplier is asked what the fix missed. You do not restart the clock as though nothing happened.
The mistake to avoid
Closing the SCAR when the plan is approved. An approved plan is a statement of intent. Five clean lots are what happened. If one of the five fails, the SCAR goes back to the cause, not to the next lot.
- List every supplier corrective action closed in the last six months.
- Check that each has verification from your own receiving data.
- Reopen any that closed on the day the plan was approved.
Open the printable Monday Board
Related on ShopFloorOps
The supplier, the part, the lot and the people in this book (Dunmore Fastener Co., FB-8120, lot 55102) are a made-up example. The tool sidebars show ShopFloorOps tools, which I make and sell. Every chapter teaches the step itself, so you can use your own forms.